A Cold Burden
by Bellatrix Kale
Summary: Cassie is a twenty five year old mutant with telekinesis&mindreading. What happens when Stryker comes knocking at her door? She replaces Logan in Team X! Eventual pairing to be Bolt/OC. Wade/OC friendship.
1. A Call

**A/N: I'm posting it. YESHHH! Okay. I was gunna start this once I finish a few other fics but I had to... O.O The plot bunnies...they nibbled by brain away. GAW. Anyhoo, it's gunna be an epic fic. It'll take place in the movie-verse of Origins and prolly go AU at some point.  
And for reference...  
Cassie: Alona Tal  
Ridley: Jensen Ackles  
Everyone else from the movie is pretty much the same. :) Reviews feed the bunnies!**

Chapter One: A Call

Sitting in between two of the stacks of the science fiction/fantasy section of the Borders she worked in, Cassie stocked the shelves. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was kneeling down. Getting somewhat bored of the repetitive process, Cassie poked her head around the corner. The few patrons in the café were still. When she looked to her right, no one was visible at the opposite end of the stacks. With a smile, Cassie held an open gloved hand out and watched one of the paperback books stack itself. Cassie did this a few times until she noticed someone walk by the opposite end. She stopped and went back to shelving by hand.

As she finished putting away the sci-fi books from the lower section of the cart, she stood. Cassie could feel her phone buzzing in her pocket suddenly. _'Must be Ridley.'_ She walked out from the stacks and hurried over to the front counter. "Hey Rob," she said to a tall, red headed employee. "I'm taking my break." He gave a nod in recognition.

Cassie walked over to the café portion of the store and stood by the window. She pulled out her phone and saw it said 'one missed call.' Clicking a button or two, she found it had been her brother. Cassie quickly dialed his number. It rang a few times before she heard him pick up. "Ridley?"

"Cas, I just called."

"Yeah. I know," she laughed. "What'd you want?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Cassie heard Ridley sigh before saying, "Two men showed up today."

"Huh?"

"Yeah," he told her, "they asked for you."

"Who were they? What'd they want?" Cassie asked, panicking slightly.

"I think they were from the government. They asked to talk to you. I gave them your new address, hope you don't mind."

She was silent for a moment, trying to figure out why people from the government would want to talk to her. "Yeah," she finally told him.

"Okay then," Ridley said. "Get back to work."

"Alright," she said sarcastically before hanging up. Cassie returned the phone to her pocket and walked over to the sci-fi section to retrieve the cart. _'This'll bother me all day now…'_

---

_**(6 Hours later, 7:00 p.m.)**_

Cassie walked to the front door of the apartment. She pulled her eyes from her tote bag and unlocked the door. Once in, she shut the door behind her and began up the flight of stairs to her place. Cassie used the keys once more on her own door. She felt weary because even after two months, she wasn't used to living on her own.

She tossed her tote bag on the small sofa before heading into her room. Cassie changed into a pair of black lounge pants and a white t-shirt. Just as she got her shirt on, Cassie heard a knock coming from the front door. She grabbed her phone from her jeans lying on the end of her bed before hurrying out to the door. She forgot to close her bedroom door, so she quickly turned and motioned with a wave of her hand for it to close. The bedroom door shut and she opened the front door cautiously.

A man in a suit stood in front of her. He had grey hair and his hands behind his back. Cassie noticed another man behind him with a red sleeveless shirt. _'Are those swords on his back?'_

She was about to try and focus so she could find out who they were, but the man in the suit asked, "Are you Cassie Anderson?"

"Uh…yes?" she told him while glancing at the man with the assumed swords nervously.

"Miss Anderson, could we come in? There's a matter I would like to discuss with you."

She swallowed hard and nodded while stepping aside. Cassie held the door open as the suited man walked past. The man with the assumed to be swords walked past and gave her a small smile. _'Damn. Those are swords.'_ The two stood in the little apartment, looking at her. "So…did I do something wrong?"

The suited man laughed and shook his head. "No." He seemed to get serious before saying, "My name is William Stryker. This is Wade-"

"Hello," Wade said with a wave of his fingers.

Stryker sighed and shot Wade a glare, who immediately put his hand over his mouth. "As I was saying, this is Wade Wilson. He's apart of a team I have going. A team of special people. We could use someone with your gift."

"Excuse me?" Cassie asked, awestruck. _'Are they talking about what I can do?'_

"Well my sources say you have telekinesis along with the ability to read minds, am I correct?"

Cassie swallowed hard and gave a nod. "So?"

Stryker grinned. "You're exactly what we need for the team, Cassie. Maybe I call you Cassie?"

"Sure… What team?"

"It's a classified team known as Team-X."

"And what do you do on this team, Mr. Stryker?"

Wade, still holding a hand over his mouth, seemed to be laughing a little. Stryker glared at him again and said, "You could say we…catch bad guys."

"And you want my help?"

"That's right," he told her with a nod. "Will you join?"

Cassie put a gloved hand to her forehead. She pushed her palm against it, trying to focus on one of them with out letting them see. She caught one of their thoughts.

_Special team. Special abilities. Special privileges. It's super fun!_

She broke concentration and put her hand down as she smiled at Wade. _'It was his thoughts.'_ "When do I leave?" she asked.

"Can you be ready tonight?" Stryker asked.

Cassie glanced around. "I don't think so," she chuckled.

Stryker nodded. "I'll have Wade pick you up in the morning then at oh-nine hundred."

Wade pulled his hand away from his mouth and had a straight face as he followed Stryker to the door. Stryker walked out and Wade said, "See ya tomorrow morning." He shut the door behind him, leaving Cassie staring with a confused look.

_'What did I just get myself into?'_ She smacked her gloved hands against her face as she made her way into the bedroom for some much needed sleep.


	2. Swordsman Pickup

**A/N: So i just had to post this. I'm super eager to get this story going. :D I forgot to add it last time, but the tall redhead at the Borders? That was a little homage of the Pattinson guy from _Twilight/New Moon_. I'm not a fan of him but there's a poster on my wall and I needed a random name. This chapter was hard to write. Wade's kinda mouthy and stuff so he's hard for me to write. Some of the things he says next chapter seems more in character actually then his dialogue from this chapter. The cold "condition" that Cassie has is like a downfall to her powers. Just a little something I'm putting in that's apart of me. (I'm always wearing gloves because my hands get cold a lot.) enough rambling. Argh. Enjoy the chapter. Please review!**

Chapter 2: Swordsman Pickup

Cassie was up two hours early. She figured it would give her enough time to pack a bag, call the landlord, and maybe call Ridley. She sat on the couch, still in her pajamas, staring at the cell phone next to her. She really wanted to call and talk to her brother, but didn't know if she could tell him. _'Still have to call the landlord. Right.'_ Cassie picked up the small phone and dialed the number. When he answered, he told her everything had been taken care of and wished her luck. _'I'm not sure why he's wishing me luck, but I'll need it.'_

Then she caved and called Ridley. "Hey big brother," Cassie said with a small yawn.

"Hey. It's early. You sound tired."

"Yeah. I've got this…thing so I had to be up early."

"A thing, huh?"

She could tell he knew she was lying, even without reading his mind. _'Though I so wish I could do that with long distances.' _"Uh huh."

"Alright," he chuckled. "Well good luck with your thing. I've gotta get ready for work since I'm running behind, but call me later so we can talk."

"Okay," Cassie smiled. "Bye." She heard him say goodbye before she hung up. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 7:20. _'Plenty of time to get a shower and pack.'_ She smiled as she got up and walked into the bathroom.

---

**(7:50 A.M.)**

After a long shower and blow drying her hair, Cassie changed into a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved yellow shirt, and a pair of boots. She was putting on her gloves when she heard a knock at the front door. _'It's almost eight. Ridley? No, he's at work by now.' _Cassie wondered who it was all the way to the door. She opened it, peering around the corner to see none other than Wade Wilson.

He looked at her with sudden surprise. "Hello," he smiled at her.

"Aren't you a little early?" Cassie asked.

Wade looked at a watch on his wrist. "Only by an hour, but boss man said."

She shrugged and stepped aside. "Come in. I haven't packed yet…" He gave a nod and walked in. Cassie took notice he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, swords ion his back and all. "You have swords... Do you mind if I ask why?"

As Cassie pulled her gloves tight and walked into her room, she heard Wade say, "They're my weapons and close friends." He laughed slightly and said, "I've got some pretty good stories about them. One, ah…involves a wedding."

From her room, as she pulled a suitcase from her closet, Cassie laughed. "Must be funny if you took swords to a wedding."

"Oh yeah. They weren't very happy, but I bet she never forgot me." Cassie nodded and began tossing clothes into her bag. "So you're a mind reader?" Wade asked.

"Yes. It's not as strong as my telekinesis though." Finishing up putting her clothes into the bag, she turned and made her scarf move into her reach. Cassie plucked it from the air and wrapped it around her neck. She then zipped up her suitcase and carried it over to the front door. When Cassie turned, she found Wade sharpening one of the swords. "May I…?"

He held out the unsheathed weapon to her as he grew nearer. Cassie took the sword by the handle gingerly. "It's a katana. Picked it up in Chinatown. Bought its twin the same time," he told her as he held up the other, looking at it with a sort of envy.

Cassie turned the blade, looking at it with a bit of surprise. "They're nice," she told him as she handed it back out to him.

Wade took it back, put both in their sheaths behind his back, and stood. "You must be ready then?"

"Once I grab my jacket," she nodded. Quickly, Cassie ran into her room and swiped her jacket from a hanger in the closet. It was a green urban jacket that she cherished. Ridley bought it for her on her twenty first birthday. She hadn't liked it at first because he had on that looked like it, but his got worn which stopped him from wearing it. That was when she began to wear hers.

Cassie sighed at the memory. She smiled as she pulled the jacket on and walked back out of her room. Wade was holding her suitcase and standing by the door. Cassie frowned at him as she looked at the bag. "I'll carry it," he said kindly.

"Fine," she said quickly. "Let's go." They walked out the door and Cassie knew this was the first step in a new journey.

---

Wade led her to a black Range Rover just outside the apartment. The two were now in the car, driving down the main road of her town. She looked at him as he drove. _'Quite fast actually…'_ From the corner of her eye, Cassie noticed he glanced at her gloves.

"So…ah, what's with the gloves?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

Cassie swallowed hard. "No story," she said nervously.

"You've got a scarf, too. It's very nice if you don't mind me saying." She nodded in response. "But it's not winter," Wade said with a head tilt. "Or fall," he added.

"I know what season it is," Cassie mumbled while looking out the window,

"It' spring. Actually, it's almost spring," Wade said. Cassie just nodded as she rolled her eyes.

_'He talks a lot.'_ The nest hour or two was filled with Wade talking about the places he'd been to. _'Can't wait to get to…wherever we're going…'_


	3. Introduction

**A/N: So I'm gunna put replies to my review in here now. (Only for this story though, just to test it out.) **

**Bdbelley:** Thanks. Don't worry I will. :) Heh. Same here. Wade's just awesome and Bolt's cute. ^^

**Sweetdisposition19:** Wade should be known as "chatterbox man with swords". Everyone would know who we mean then. Lol.

**Anyhoo. I'm working on the fourth chapter right now. I won't do double posts for a while since I did one today. (I just had to! The bunnies told me to...) Read, review, and enjoy everyone!**

Chapter 3: Introductions

Two and a half hours passed before Wade finally stopped the car and turned it off. He got out of the car and Cassie watched him curiously for a moment. She looked out the windows of the car and saw some sort of military-eque base. "Where are we?" Cassie asked as she unbuckled the seat belt and got out of the car.

"Temporary home. Old military base," Wade said as he got her bag out of the back seat. After putting it on the ground, he said, "Not **too** shabby. It's nicer inside." She nodded and walked over to her suitcase. Cassie picked it up and followed Wade into the building. "Boss man said you should check in with him first," Wade said, gesturing towards a closed grey door

He knocked on it swiftly and a voice said, "Come in."

The two walked in the dim room. It was only lit by a small desk lamp as Stryker wrote something down. He stood and looked at Cassie. "Ah. Cassie, you're here," Stryker smiled. "I would show you to your room, but I'm very busy with paper work and-"

"I'll show her sir," Wade spoke. "It's the pink room with unicorns down the hall, right?"

"Wade…" Stryker grumbled.

"Okay so maybe it's not pink and there're no unicorns…" Wade shrugged and said, "C'mon Cassie."

"I'll organize a meeting once I'm done," she heard Stryker say as they began out of the room.

"He can be such a cheese dick sometimes," Wade groaned.

Cassie laughed and asked, "Is this where we'll be permanently?"

"No," he said. "Mainly we're based in Russia. This is only for another week."

"Russia?" she asked, dumbfounded. _'No one mentioned Russia before.'_

Wade looked over and laughed. "I'm kidding," he told her. "Got you good. You should've seen your face." He continued to snicker.

Cassie just stared him down. Each time he glanced back at her he stopped laughing a little more. Finally, he stopped in front of a door. "We're actually based in Washington state," Wade gulp as he opened the door. "This is your room."

She stepped in and looked around. It was a plain room with only a desk and chair by the far right wall, a dresser at the back wall, and a bed against the left wall. "Cozy," Cassie said with fake enthusiasm.

"Heh. Real homey right?" Cassie gave a nod and put her suitcase on the bed. "Personally, I liven up my room with giant pictures of suns. They all smile," Wade said very matter of factly.

She laughed. "I bet you would." Cassie sat on the edge of the bed and looked over at Wade. "I guess I should say thank you."

"And tip," he said, holding out his hand. She shook her head at him. Wade just smiled before he said, "When boss man calls the meeting, I'll come get you."

"Okay," Cassie said as he turned and walked out of sight. _'What a strange man.'_ She just knew laughed to herself as she waved a hand for the door to close.

---

Twenty minutes after Wade left, he returned. "Meeting of doom time!" he said happily as he knocked on the door.

Cassie had been switching the purple gloves she had on for a pair of white fingerless ones. _'Good thing I brought multiple pairs.'_ She stood and followed Wade down the hallway and around the corner. They entered a room that looked as if it was meant for board meetings with a long table and multiple chairs.

Stryker was at the far end of the table with his hands laced on, what looked to be, a portfolio. Five other men turned their head slightly to look at her. "Didn't start the party without us, did ya?" Wade asked, sounding almost childish. He walked over to a chair on the left side, next to a very light haired man; and sat down. Cassie swallowed hard and almost opened her mind to let all their thoughts in, but decided against it and sat next to Wade.

"Cassie Anderson," Stryker began, "is new to the team. She's a reader and has telekinetic powers."

A man with a cowboy hat and dark skin across the table looked at her. Cassie picked up on his simple thought instantly.

_Tha's cool._

She smiled as the man directed his attention back to Stryker. "Now as you know, we still have a week to be in Michigan. During this time, I would like Zero to assist her in firearms. Maybe a portion of combat training with Fred."

Cassie looked at the five men. _'Who's who? Wade is the only one I know…well sorta.'_ "Who's Zero and Fred?" Cassie whispered to Wade.

Wade cleared his throat and said, "Sir. Cassie has no idea who is who," while raising his hand up.

She covered her face with her gloved hands for a moment as she heard Stryker say, "Introduction were next on the agenda, Wade."

Wade put his hand down and shot Cassie a smile. "Welcome," he said to her.

"You already know Wade. This is Agent Zero," he said while pointing towards a man sitting to his left. Cassie leaned forward and saw a black haired Asian man polishing a gun. The man, Agent Zero, just nodded once. "Next to him is Jon Wraith."

John tipped his hat and said, "Real nice to meet ya."

She smiled at him slightly while Stryker continued. "Next to him is Chris Bradley."

Cassie looked at the next man. He had a buzz cut and face looked as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. Chris smiled almost shyly at her before saying, "Hello."

"To my right is Victor Creed."

She leaned and saw a man with large sideburns. He made a scowl and turned his head away to not look at her. _'Nice to meet you too.'_

"Finally, next to him is Fred Dukes."

Cassie leaned a little more and caught sight of a muscular man with a short blond crew cut. "Hi," he said.

"Don't forget me!" Wade said.

Stryker sighed and said, "She knows you. Also new rules will be in effect as of now." He held up a paper and read, "No harassing female team members, no disorderly conduct, and… Well you know the rest." Stryker put the paper down and looked at Cassie. "Welcome to Team X."


	4. Abilities

**A/N: Let's start off with replies to reviews!**

corbsxx**: I'm glad you enjoy it! ^^**

Snow leopard freak**: Hm... That actually was an idea, but I'm not too fond of his character at all. Quite frankly, I'd be scared all to hell if I met Victor.**

Sweetdisposition19**: Same here. More remarks from Wade this chapter should make you happy. :)**

Bdbelley**: Bolt's always cute! -squee- He's got a good part in this chapter this time around.**

**So anyhoo, I just wanted to show Cassie interacting with the team in this chapter. Sorry if it seems cut off at the end. ^^;; Oh, and the idea with hearing feedback from Chris was like my first idea for this story. Heh. I thought it'd be interesting since he's the technopath and all... Yeah... Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Abilities

The meeting ended and everyone went separate ways. Victor was the first one out the door she noticed. _'Hm… He seems touchy. I'll steer clear of him.'_ Cassie thought everyone else was exceptionally nice though. They all smiled and welcomed her. _'Even if some said more than others.'_

Cassie was last out of the meeting room, having to go over a few things with Stryker like answering questions and telling him all she knew about her abilities. But after that, he was free as a bird.

Walking to her room, she saw the cowboy-hatted John appear outside the door across from hers. She was a bit shocked at first and jumped. He smiled and said,"Didn't mean to startle ya."

She laughed and said, "It's okay. So you can…?"

"Teleport," he finished her sentence. Cassie gave a nod. "I jus' wanna apologize for Victor."

"Why?"

John frowned. "He's still touchy about Logan leaving."

"Who's Logan?"

"Logan's the one you replaced. His brother," he told her.

"So I shouldn't count on him being nice?"

"Tha's right."

Cassie just scoffed a little and said, "Thanks I guess." She went to go into her room when John stopped her.

"Why don't you come hang out with us?" he asked. She looked over her shoulder curiously at him. "Room at the end of the hall across from the meetin' room." John turned and began walking down in said direction.

Cassie went into her room and pulled off her scarf. _'Don't wanna look like a complete freak.'_ She tossed the scarf on the little bed next to her suitcase. _'Maybe the gloves too…'_ Cassie knew the gloves being off would be worse. _'Someone could bump into me or something. Either way, I'm weird.'_ She sat on the bed, ready to admit defeat when she remembered most of the team members weren't mean. A majority gave her a smile. They even said hello. _'Maybe it won't be so bad.'_

---

Cassie stood in front of the door to the room. _'Should I…knock?'_ With hesitation, she knocked on the door. For a number of seconds, Cassie stood there wondering why she knocked. _'Probably the weirdest thing I've ever done.'_

The door opened and there stood Wade Wilson. "What are you knocking for?" he asked.

"I…uh…"

"You're apart of this team," Wade laughed.

She smiled a little. "Sorry." She walked in and found that the place looked like a small rec room. There was a pinball machine, a vending machine, and a small television; along with two couches facing the television. "It's homey," Cassie said. She recognized John at the pinball machine. Wade walked over and plopped down across one couch. On the other were two guys. _'Chris and Fred?'_ The one was eating a bag of chips; and the other was reading a book.

The one eating the chips looked up at her. "Hi Cassie," he said.

"Fred, right?" He nodded and she said, "Hi."

Wade sat up and patted the spot next to him. "Come, sit, share. Tell us about yourself."

Cassie smiled lightly and glanced down at the floor as she sat. When she looked up, Fred was looking at her curiously and the other guy, whom she assumed was Chris, put his book down and was giving her the same look. "Um…well…" _'What do I say? There must be something they want to know since they asked…'_ "What do you wanna know?"

"Height, blood type, shoe size. You know, the basics," Wade said.

Cassie said, "five foot three, not sure, and eight and a half."

Her comment earned laughs from Wade and Chris. Fred seemed more interested in his bag of chips. He got up as he crushed the bag and walked to John's side. Cassie looked at him oddly. "Don't take it personally," Chris said.

"He's a little slow," Wade added.

She nodded and looked at Chris. "So…uh, what do you do? I know Wade's got his swords…"

"Me? Oh okay…" The lights flickered on and off, and the pinball machine went crazy.

"Bradley, knock that off. You're messin' up my name," John said.

Cassie held back a laugh. "That's cool." She saw the book at his side and noticed he was about to say something. "Can I see your book?"

"Sure," he said as he went to pick it up.

Cassie was faster though. The book moved on its own, gliding its way gently through the air to land on her lap. "Thanks," she smiled. "Oh, I love Sherlock Holmes."

She looked up and saw the look of interest on Chris' face. "That was bloody awesome," he said.

"I'm going to half to agree with you," Wade agreed. He seemed to be looking at John and Fred. "Yo! You two see what this girl can do?"

"It's really cool," Chris chimed in.

Cassie blushed a little at their comments. _'Nobody's ever called my ability cool. What of the other one though…'_ "They're not the coolest powers in the world. Teleporting and…what Chris does is great too," she said.

"I'm called a technopath. Weird name, right?"

"I guess?" she snickered. Cassie decided, on a whim, to open her mind up to Chris' thoughts. _'Just for a moment. Then to Wade's. Don't wanna intrude.'_ She watched him intently and heard something.

_SSKRREEEE!_

It sounded like feedback. Cassie blocked him off and winced in pain. "Damn it…" Wade and Chris looked at her with concern. "Sorry, it's just…Chris I heard feedback in your mind."

"That's why you winced? Sorry," he said solemnly, "I'm keeping the pinball machine on for John."

"Ooh! Ooh! Read my mind!" Wade begged.

Cassie looked at Wade, focusing. It took her a minute to pick up his thoughts.

_Bradley's short. Are you reading my mind yet?_

She laughed and said, "You think Bradley is short and yes, I did."

"Hey," Chris said, scowling at Wade.

"It's the truth. Cassie's prolly taller than you."

She just smiled. _'Well this'll be fun.'_


	5. Team Training

**A/N: Starting off with review responses as usual!**

Bdbelley**: The idea with the static was my very first idea. Like i had no plot or character, but I knew I wanted to include that. And your demand has been fufilled. :)**

corbsxx**: Thanks. This one isn't as cute, but I hope you like it.**

**Anyhoo. This chapter took a while to write. Cassie-muse went playing in the snow in Russia with Team X. Lol. And I'm now officially using Cassie in the LJ rp community called Team_X! Yay. It's super fun. Took a while to get accepted though since I didn't read the rules carefully enough. None of this fic is actually happening in the rp, but I'm going straight off her personalilty and such. Oh and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wade in this chapter. He goes a little over the top. ^^ Next chapter is written & I just have to type it. IT takes more about Cassie's cold hands and has a hint of fluff. -squee- R&R please!**

Chapter 5: Team Training

After sitting with the guys for a while, Cassie went back to her room. On the desk was a set of clothes: black bdu's, a green t-shirt, and a pair of black lace up combat boots. Cassie looked over the clothes. _'Is this what we have to wear?'_ There was a sudden knock at the door and she turned. _'Agent Zero?'_ The ethnic man had a stoic look.

He told her, "Stryker wants you to do some firearms training."

Swallowing hard, Cassie nodded. She followed Agent Zero down the hall. He led her to a door which went outside. They crossed a small open area to another building. Once in, Cassie noticed it was a firing range.

She stood by the door as Agent Zero walked over to a locker and pulled out what looked to be a pretty big gun. He held it out to her then. "Whoa. I'm supposed to fire this?"

Agent Zero gave a nod. "It's the standard for missions. A semi-automatic assault rifle. It can fire up to five rounds per second or can be used as a single shot."

Cassie approached and took it gingerly as she looked at it timidly. "Are you sure you don't have anything…smaller?"

He went back to the locker and said, "There's a handgun but it's not exactly protocol."

"Can I use that?"

Agent Zero held out the smaller gun and took the other from her. "This one's a nine millimeter berretta. Twelve bullets in a clip. Common, lightweight, and easy."

Cassie looked at him in amazement. "You sure know a lot about guns, huh?"

He just smirked and said, "It's what I do. Now go and give it a try." Agent Zero nodded towards a target lane.

Hesitantly, Cassie walked over between the two cement dividers and held the gun up. She pulled the trigger. The sensation of the gun jumping in her hands startled her. _'Not such a bad thing I guess…'_ Cassie repeated the process five more times.

"Aim's off a little, but you're not half bad," Agent Zero said from somewhere. After he completed his sentence, Cassie heard some round be fired off. She lost count after eight. "Doubt you could ever top my shot. The other guys couldn't even come close." He walked out from behind the other cement divider, holding two shiny silver handguns. Swiftly, Agent Zero put them in the holsters at the sides of his chest. "I'll let Stryker know you don't need training," he said while walking over to her and taking the handgun.

"Okay. Thanks Agent Zero," Cassie said.

"You can just call me Zero," he replied in a near cold tone.

"Right. Thanks Zero." With that, Cassie walked out of the building and returned to the barracks across the way.

---

According to a small clock on the desk, Cassie saw it was nearing six. For the past hour plus, she had been engulfed in her book. Seeing Chris reading earlier made her want to read. _'Good thing I brought one of my favorite books, __The Stand__.'_ Since it was so big, Cassie figured it would take a while to read. _'Even if I have read it three times already.'_

She sat the book down next to her on the bed and stretched her arms over head. There was a knock at her door mid-stretch. "Come in," Cassie called.

The door opened and Chris poked his head in. She put her arms down with a flop as he asked, "What're ya doin'?"

"Stretching. I've been sitting still for the past hour or so I think."

He walked in more and said, "You think?"

Cassie picked up her book with two hands, on account of its size, and jostled it. "The Stand pulled me in."

Chris smiled a little and told her, "Well if you're hungry, there's food in the rec room."

Shaking her head, she said, "No thanks. Not that hungry."

Just then, Wade crept up behind Chris and said, "Shame. John got us pizza."

Cassie could hear Chris let out a very small "aah!" at the sound of Wade. He swung back and hit him in the chest lightly. "Jerk," Chris mumbled.

Wade just smiled and held up a slice of pizza. "Eat and be merry!"

"That's okay," Cassie said through a laugh, "I'm good."

Wade waved the slice around. "You positive? Cause this is good and I'm probably holding the last piece if Fred got any." She shook her head again. "Alright then," he shrugged as he bit into the pizza slice. Wade then turned and walked off.

Chris shook his head. "That guy can be annoying," he said as he leaned with his back against the door frame and his arms crossed.

Cassie made a half smile. "I think he's nice. He sorta reminds me of my brother… Except Ridley's more serious…" She thought about if what she said made sense for a second, then shook her head.

"Oh, so we heard you did some firing in the gun range. How'd that go?"

"Good enough that I don't have to go back," she said happily. "We won't have to actually shoot people, will we?"

Chris frowned. "Zero usually does all the shooting. Victor, Fred, and Wade don't take guns. John and I have never had to shoot anyone though."

She sighed. "Good. I'm not sure if I could."

"So I wanted to ask, what's with the gloves?"

Cassie shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. _'Someone else had to ask. I'll just wriggle out of answering again.' _"I'll tell you later," she told him. Him asking caused her to fix the white fingerless gloves.

"I'll hold ya to that," Chris told her.

_'Darn.'_ "O-Okay…" That being said, he gave a wave and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Cassie let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. _'Great. Now I'll have to explain it…'_ Cassie banged her head against the wall lightly at the thought.

---

Cassie awoke to a loud knock at the door. She sat up and rubbed her cold hands together as she walked over to the door. John was on the other side of the door. "Mornin'" he said.

She gave up on warming her hands and asked, "What time's it?"

"Almost eight. Breakfast in the mess, then we've got training."

"Lovely," Cassie said. "I'll be there shortly." John nodded and walked away. _'Shoot. I didn't ask where the mess is…'_ She shook her head at herself as she shut the door.

Quickly, she changed into the clothes that were left on the desk the day before. It looked very military. The addition of her white gloves gave the outfit an interesting twist.

Happy and comfortable with how she looked, Cassie pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. A chill crept over her bare arms and she grabbed her sentimental jacket before walking out of her room. Cassie stood in the hallway, looking one way then the other. _'Which way?...'_ She took a chance and walked in the opposite way of the rec room.

She reached the end of the hall and came face to face with a door. It led outside. Looking through the window, she saw it was extremely sunny out. "Hey," someone said. Cassie turned and saw Chris walking out of a room to her right. He was dressed in (almost) the same as her.

"Hey," she said almost nervously. "Uh…where's the mess?" _'Yeah. I'm a complete rookie. Go on and say it.'_

He smiled at her and said, "It's right behind you."

Cassie felt herself blush a little bit. "Oh. That answers that then." She put her gloved hands into the pockets of the pants as she turned and walked through the doorway to the mess hall.

When she walked in, Cassie found it looked much more like a small kitchen connected to a cafeteria. There was a big table like you would see in a school with attached seats. John, Fred, and Wade were sitting near one another. At the far end was Victor, who looked to be sharpening his nails. She saw Zero was nowhere to be found. Chris walked past her and saw on John's right at the end. Wade waved for her to join them and said, "Breakfast, Cas?"

"Thanks for the nickname," Cassie said as she sat in the seat across from Chris and next to Wade on the last seat. "What do we got?"

"Well as long as Fred didn't eat all the food there's cereal, which tastes like cardboard; bread for toast, which is the safest choice; or oatmeal that looks like it could eat you," Wade said.

Fred glared at him when he made the comment about him eating all the food. Cassie looked at Wade and laughed, "I think I'm good."

"You should eat somethin'," John said. "Training can be long."

"Tiring too, but it all depends," Wade added.

"On what?" Cassie asked, looking at the four with confusion.

"Oh, who yer training with," Fred said with a head nod.

Cassie swallowed hard. _'I'll have to train with one of them. That won't be good…'_

"I'll make you something," Chris offered as he got up and walked towards the kitchen.

She smiled a little ad adjusted her gloves. Wade elbowed her and said, "He thinks you're cute."

"What?" Cassie looked over her shoulder at Chris briefly, then back to Wade. "I doubt that."

"Cas, I room with him." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me. Plus if you don't believe me, you could find out on your own…"

"No. That's an invasion of privacy," she hissed. _'If there's one thing I hate it's barging into people's thoughts about private stuff. If he does, he does. I won't worry about it.'_

Chris returned moments later with a plate that had two pieces of golden brown toast on it.

It's safe to say, the rest of breakfast was awkward.

---

Cassie was somewhat of a slow eater so everyone, except for Wade, left to go train.

Once she finished, Wade chucked the plate into a sink and they walked out of the mess hall, straight out the door she looked out earlier. "So is that one of your rules?" he asked.

"Rules?"

"Yeah. We all have our own personal rules. Like when we will and won't use our abilities." They reached a door and Wade held it open for her, acting overly polite.

Cassie snickered and walked in. "Yeah. I used it once to find out something like that and…well, let's just say it ended badly," she grinned.

Wade nodded as the door shut behind him. He walked past her and into a small room with a single door and a rectangular glass window. Stryker was sitting in a chair with the other standing around, looking bored. "Cassie," Stryker said as he spun around to face her. "This is where we train." She nodded and he continued, "It's a room specially made for mutants. Walls of steel and a single bulletproof-break proof glass window."

"Who's in first, Boss man sir?" Wade asked.

"I'd like to see the extent of Cassie's powers." He looked over the men and sighed, "Go ahead Wade."

"Yes sir!" Wade replied happily. He walked over to the silver steel door.

Cassie walked over, swallowing hard. _'Awesome. I'll be killed first training session.'_

Wade patted her on the back and said, "Don't look so scared. It'll be fun. Hey, and I'll go easy since it's your first time."

"Super," Cassie sighed and followed Wade into the room. The door clicked shut and he walked to the far end of the room. Cassie walked to the far end of the same spot a couple of feet away and faced him nervously.

"I'll let you know when the time's up or if I'd like to see something," Stryker's voice said over a built in speaker. "When you're ready."

Cassie never used her ability to fight. _'Okay there was that one time, but that was just to push someone so I could run away…'_ Wade stood perfectly sill and raised his eyebrows at her. _'Guess that's the signal.'_

Swiftly, he pulled out his swords and spun them. "Good luck Cas," Wade said as he sidestepped.

As quick as she could, Cassie tried picking up his thoughts.

_Can't hurt her. A hit with the handle should be okay…_

He began to dash towards her and she held up her hands while shutting her eyes. It wasn't hard to focus since he was the only one in the bland room. Cassie opened her eyes and saw Wade struggling to move. She kept him still with one hand, and disarmed him with the other. _'That wasn't as hard as I thought.'_

"Nice move," he said with a smirk.

Cassie let her hands drop and Wade stumbled forward, quickly catching himself. "Cassie, can you move people?" Stryker asked.

"I think. Haven't tried it before but I could." She held up one hand and guided the swords back to their sheaths.

"Don't drop me," Wade joked.

She narrowed her eyes at him before holding both hands up. To Cassie, moving objects; or even using her power in general; felt like an airy dance. Feathery almost.

Wade stood still as she focused on him. "S-Should I pick him up off the ground?"

"If you can," Stryker said.

Hesitantly, Cassie raised her right hand slowly. As she did, Wade drifted slowly off the floor. Cassie smiled and Wade said, "Well damn, gimmie wings and call me a bird."

"Wade," Cassie mumbled, "If you're quiet I can get you down without dropping you."

He smirked. "Nonsense. I've got good reflexes. Drop me."

"…Uh…" _'Drop him? Well he asked…'_ Cassie dropped her invisible grip on him and Wade fell. He rolled instead of falling on the floor. She let out a breath of relief as he stood triumphantly.

"Told you I'd be fine," Wade smiled.

She shook her head and heard Stryker say over the speaker, "That's enough. Thank you." There was a click as the door opened. Fred and Victor walked through it once Wade and Cassie left.

---

Victor and Fred sparred after them. Apparently, Victor was feral like an animal and Fred had strength with some invulnerability.

Directly after Victor and Fred, Chris and John went in. Cassie wasn't sure how Chris would fight since he was a technopath. Even John who could teleport was a mystery. The two put on a pretty good show by sparring with hand to hand combat. John did have the upper hand with his ability. The two stopped once John won. Chris returned to the group with a bloody lip.

Then Wade and Zero went in, but she didn't pay attention much to the fight. "You okay?" Cassie asked Chris, who was leaning against the wall next to her.

He wiped his lip with the sleeve of his shirt. "'M fine. Happens all the time. Someone always gets the upper hand with me."

Cassie nodded with a concerned look. She thought about listening to his thoughts. _'We __**are**__ training. It could be considered training…'_ She watched him rub his knuckles gingerly, as if they hurt. _'Screw it.'_ Cassie focused on him. _'I really hope he's not keeping anything powered…'_

_…really whooped me that time. Ruddy hand hurts. At least she noticed me…_

She quickly cut off the path. _'Wade was right.'_ Cassie looked at the floor and shut her eyes. _'I shouldn't have done that. I invaded his privacy and I have to pretend not to know.'_

Wade and Zero walked out of the room. "Woo!" a slightly sweaty Wade shouted. "Whatta work out."

Stryker stood up and said, "That's all for today." He strode out the door.

"Anyone up for another round?" Wade asked enthusiastically.

Zero went back into the room with Wade. "Wade," Cassie called. Victor, Fred, and John all cleared out. Chris held his spot against the wall. Cassie accidentally heard he was waiting for her. "Can I talk to you later about something?"

He had stopped at the door. She saw him glance at Chris once, then back to her. "Sure. Listen for the musical knock."

Cassie nodded and turned. Chris pushed off the wall with his foot and followed her out the door. The entire three minute walk back to the barracks was silent. She felt horrible after reading his mind. _'Good thing he can't read mine.'_

He held the door to the barracks for her. "So what'd ya think?" Chris asked.

"It was interesting. The others have really cool abilities, too."

Chris nodded and looked down at the ground. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you gotta talk to Wade about?" he asked in a nervous sounding tone.

Cassie turned slowly on her heel and walked towards her room. "Nothing," she said once she heard his footsteps beside her. She stopped in front of her door and opened it. "I'll come find you later, I guess?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "sure."

"'Kay." Cassie walked into her room and shut the door behind her. The minute slam came, then she emitted a sigh and flopped onto her bed.


	6. I Hear You

**A/N: So I kinda like this chapter a lot since Cassie gets the gloves that help her condition. :) I've written up to chapter nine since I've been bored lately. I think the fic has a potentially awesome future. Onto reviews...**

corbsxx**: Welcome! It's just what i do. lol.**

**And that was the only one :( More reviews please?**

Chapter 6: I Hear You

About an hour later, Cassie was lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling when she heard the musical knock.

Cassie smiled as the door opened. "Hello?" Wade said as he poked his head in the room.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Hey Wade," she replied. Cassie let her head fall back again and said, "These ceilings are extremely boring…"

The weight of the bed shifted, signaling to her that Wade sat down. "They are," he paused, "Why do I get the feeling that you're upset?"

Cassie sat up. "I did what you said."

He made a thinking face, then said, "Oh! You did? And?"

"And I feel horrible about it," Cassie muttered. She pulled her ponytail out and asked, "What should I do?"

With a sigh, Wade asked, "Did you tell him?" She shook her head in response. "Then pretend you don't know."

"Easier said than done. I'm supposed to go talk to him."

"So go!" Wade threw up his hands. "Seriously, just go. Knowing Bradley, he won't say anything about liking you. He's laid back and a bit shy," he pinched his thumb and forefinger together to signal how shy Chris was.

"Alright Cupid," Cassie joked, "I'll go." She stood up and said, "You gotta leave my room first."

Wade smiled. "Yes ma'am." He got up and left the room in a flash.

Cassie pulled her jacket off and her gloves. She would just make sure to stay far from physical contact of any sort with anyone. _'I'll endure the cold. Then maybe, he won't ask anymore.'_ Cassie smiled at the thought as she left the coat and gloves on her bed and walked out of the room.

She remembered Chris' mind and looked around, trying to see if she could briefly hear a thought from him.

_…soon…_

One word was just what she needed. Cassie walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door across from the mess hall. She knocked on the door with precision. It opened, revealing a semi-surprised Chris.

"Oh, hi," he said.

"Can I…come in?" Cassie asked.

He nodded and stepped aside. She walked in and could tell he shared a room with Wade. There was a sword hanging on the far wall over one of the beds. Over the other was a light. As Cassie walked over to the bed with a light over it, she took notice of a small toy robot on a desk by it. "Aw," Cassie cooed. She looked up at Chris, who smiled. "Is this yours?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah. Had it since I was a kid. I'm weird, right?"

"Hell no. The jacket I wear? Yeah my brother has one almost identical to it. I think that's weirder," Cassie told him as she sat and looked at the toy from afar.

The toy had a light bulb on its head, which lit up as it mechanically moved forward. She laughed in amusement. "One of the first things that I used my ability on," he explained.

The toy stopped moving and Cassie said, "Well we've all got our little possession quirks I guess."

Chris walked over and sat down beside her. He looked at her sideways. "Hey, where're your gloves?" he asked as he reached his hand towards hers.

Cassie pulled her hand back quickly. "I took 'em off." _'And I completely regret that decision now.'_

"Sorry," he said quietly.

She swallowed hard. _'I'll have to tell him…'_ "It's not your fault. It's mine. I have this…thing…"

He looked at her with curiosity. "As in?"

Cassie took a deep breath before shifting towards him and holding her hands out. Chris looked at her oddly before feeling her hands. "They're cold…"

She pulled her hands away and stuffed them into her pants pockets. "Yeah. It's apart of my mutation for some reason. I hate it."

"Is it all your skin?" Chris asked as he held his hand a few inches from her arm. She gave him a look of approval. He grazed his hand against her skin and said, "Guess so."

Cassie nodded. "And I'm usually always chilly. That's why I wear my gloves or jacket. The scarf only if it creeps up to my neck."

"Does Stryker know?"

"I'm not sure," she frowned.

He shrugged and told her, "If you tell him, you might be able to get some help for it."

Cassie gave him a look of suspicion. "You think so?" Chris nodded and she asked, "Can you take me to Stryker then?" He gave another nod and they both stood up. "Thanks Chris."

He smiled at her as she walked past him out of the room. "You're welcome Cassie."

---

Chris showed her to Stryker's office, which was outside and around the corner. He had his very own barrack with an office and the works. Chris told her he only came out during training sessions and missions, but even that was rare.

Cassie knocked on the door once Chris made his way back to the other barracks. "Come in," Stryker's voice called. She walked in and found him sitting behind a metal desk. "Sit," Stryker motioned towards a chair in front of the desk.

She sat and looked around. 'This is almost as boring as my room.'

Finally, he looked up from his paperwork. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you knew about my condition and if you could…do anything for it."

Stryker nodded. "Your cold condition? I have a team of researchers looking into it."

'_Lucky me. That means he can't help. Nothing could ever truly fix it.'_ "Okay. Have they figured anything out yet?"

He shook his head. "In time. But I have to ask a question about it: have you ever not had the cold sensation?" Cassie nodded. "When?"

_'Oddly enough…'_ "…When my brother would touch me. Like a hug or arm poke, for example."

Stryker nodded. "Any other time?" She shook her head in defeat. "Right, well for now, my researchers made these," he pulled out a pair of gloves from his drawer. "They're heated and thin. Bradley can run them during missions and while you're here you can continue wearing your own gloves." He handed the gloves to her.

"Thank you sir," Cassie said. _'They probably won't help. I've tried a lot of things already.'_ She stood up and walked out of the office. _'Does Chris know about this?...'_ Cassie made her way back to the barracks and walked in, turning and knocking on the door to Chris' room.

Wade opened the door and said, "Hey Cas. You come to visit?"

Cassie nodded. "Where's Chris?"

"Right here," behind Wade, she could see Chris stand up from his laying down position on his bed. He walked over to the door next to Wade and said, "How'd it go?"

"Can I talk to you…alone?"

"Sure," he said as he moved past Wade out of the room.

Cassie caught Wade wink at her as he shut the door. She rolled her eyes at him and walked with Chris to her room. "I have to show you something." Cassie held out the gloves once they were safely in her room.

He took them from her, looking them over curiously. "What are they?"

"Apparently, they're for missions until they figure something out for my coldness. He said you could power them."

"'Course I can. Here, put 'em on." Chris handed them back to her.

Cassie put on the olive green gloves. _'Light. Wonder where the energy source is?'_

She watched as Chris raised two fingers to his temple and shut his eyes.

Cassie looked at her hands, turning them in an investigative manner. It felt like heat was being poured onto her hands. She could still feel the cold chill, but the gloves toned it down respectively. Her eyes went wide. "The cold's not as bad."

He lowered his fingers and opened his eyes. "You sure?"

She nodded vigorously and hugged him quickly. "Thank you so much!" When she pulled away, he smiled at her. "Heh. Sorry," Cassie said.

Chris shook his head and asked, "Want me to turn them off?"

Cassie looked at him with confusion. "Could you let them on, just for the rest of today?"

"Sure," he told her.

She let out a breath of relief. "Is there anyway to contact people here?"

"Other than paper and a pencil or permitted leave, no."

Cassie sat down on the edge of her bed. "Damn. Ridley would think this is awesome."

"You miss your brother?" Chris asked as he sat next to her. She nodded in response while adjusting the gloves. "Sorry. Maybe, eventually, Stryker could let you visit him."

"Maybe." She was concentrating on the feeling of her hands. They were warm, something thing wasn't used to. Carefully she pulled of the right glove and held her hand towards Chris. "Is it cold?"

He wrapped his hand around hers. "A tiny bit. Mostly warm," Chris said.

She grinned. _'Warmth is almost a stranger to me. It's nice.'_ He was still holding her hand. "Uh…Chris?"

Chris bushed slightly as he let go of her hand. "Sorry."

Smiling at him lightly, Cassie told him, "It's okay." For a second, she could hear a word from his thoughts.

_…obvious…_

_'Gotta strengthen my wall.'_ Cassie wasn't a fan of hearing random thoughts. Usually people thought kind of loud and gave her a small headache. She put the glove back on and said, "Thanks again Chris."

"Anytime." He stood up and walked out of the room. Before he was out of sight, she let his thoughts in.

_…worked. Her hands were warm and soft. I wish I knew Cassie more. Then I could tell her…_

She cut it off. _'Tell me what?'_ Cassie almost listened more, but she knew better. _'Bad enough I already heard this much…'_ With a wave of her hand, the door shut.


	7. Russia & A Dream

**A/N: I have a few notes. But review replies are first!**

Azalia Fallen: **There's more coming up about her "condition" in future chapters :)**

Sweetdisposition19: **I'm not too familiar with True Blood, but you have a point. Cept Cassie's a bit more noob-ish with her telepathy.**

corbsxx: **The world may never know... Just like the big question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop. (Seriously, how many does it take? Lol.)**

**Thanks to the readers, reviewers, subscribers, and favorite-ers. Lol. So in this chapter, I hid an easter egg or two. One of which was the clock. 108 is a Lost thing. (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Add em and you get 108. Execute!) I also had two little hints that Chris and Bradley could've been a pairing at one point. (I'm odd. I like Wade/Bradley stories. ^^) Mainly I got my point across that I think Wade would flirt with anything that had two legs. Lawl. Next chapter will have a very short mission, more mind conversations, a flustered Chris, and awkwardness. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 7: Russia and a Dream

The rest of the week became normal routine for Cassie. Wake up around seven, grab something to eat, go to training with the team for a few hours, then take a shower and relax the rest of the day either in the rec room or her room. (Depending on who was in the rec room.) Cassie even got used to Wade's snarky comments and nicknames.

She grew closer with most of the team members; except for Victor, of course. Even Zero showed an act of kindness. (But it was just once.)

At the end of the week, after training and a shower; she was sitting on the sofa next to John in the rec room when Stryker came in. "Men…and woman, pack your things. We head out tonight." He looked at Bradley and said, "Have the plane prepped and ready in ten." With that, Stryker left the room.

Cassie noticed someone of the others, like Chris and Fred, left the room. Victor and Zero hadn't even been there which left her with John and Wade.

"Looks like a fine day for flying," Wade said while stretching and standing up.

"Where we headed?" Cassie asked.

John looked at her with slight concern. "Didn't they tell ya? We're relocatin'."

She scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion and asked, "Where?"

"Russia," he told her.

Cassie's jaw dropped. "Wade! You said-"

"Sorry, I know." He waved his hands around. "Stryker didn't want you to know. Said you were important for the team." Wade just smirked. "You're the shiny trophy."

She rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room. _'It's ridiculous. I was lied to. For what? Just to be apart of some stupid team with other mutants?'_ Cassie slammed her room door shut and peered around. All her things stayed in her suitcase, so she was pretty much packed. _'But to go where? Halfway across the globe?'_ She sat roughly on the end of the bed and put her head in her hands. _'I can't go.' _The anger welled in her as she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she said angrily.

Cassie didn't bother looking up; she knew who it was. Her anger broke down her barrier and she heard their thoughts.

"I'm sorry," he said.

With a small smirk, Cassie asked, "What happened to Washington, Wade?"

"We go after Russia."

_How much more sorry can I be?_

She looked up at him and noticed her suitcase that resided on the desk was hovering. "Great." The suitcase dropped carefully.

"That happen a lot when you're angry?"

_Remind yourself not to get her fired up ever again…_

Laughing, Cassie nodded. _'I thought the same about him and his swords when I met him. Ironic…'_

He turned and walked out the door. "We fly in five. Come down to my room once you're ready," Wade called.

Cassie took a deep breath as she got up and packed the few things she had out of her bag. She put her jacket on and picked up the suitcase before hurrying down the hall to Wade and Chris' room.

Wade was gone, but Chris was tossing things into a black duffel bag quickly. He looked up and said, "Hey Cassie." She waved and he asked, "Ready to fly?"

Exhaling deeply, she admitted, "Not really."

Chris zipped the bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I'll be extra careful then," he said as he walked past her.

She was shocked. "You're a pilot?" Cassie followed him out the door and towards a large black plane on a runway.

He tossed his bag on top of a few others and said, "Kinda of. My ability is handy for it though."

"Cool." She put her suitcase on the pile and walked with him to a small set of steps. Chris motioned for her to go first and she did. Cassie saw the other team members sitting with harnesses on. She sat down in an empty seat near the front and Chris sat beside her. Cassie noticed Wade was the only person missing. Even Stryker was on the plane.

As she tried to figure out the seat belt like harness, she could hear Wade say, "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was bad."

Someone made a 'tch' sound and someone else groaned.

"They just go over your arms and buckle here," Chris explained when he noticed Cassie was struggling with the harness.

Shyly, she thanked him. Stryker then cleared his throat and said, "Take off Bradley."

Chris nodded and shut his eyes. There was the sound of the engines roaring, then a small bit of shaky movement.

The plane took off and Cassie leaned her head back. _'I'm leaving. Didn't even get to tell Ridley. Gosh, he'll be so mad.' _"Excuse me, sir?" Cassie asked Stryker. "How long will this…ride last?"

"About an hour. The plane is state of the art. Plus, we have our excellent pilot." He glanced at Chris. She turned to look at him, but he still seemed to be focusing on getting the plane in the air.

_'Good time for a nap then.'_ Cassie leaned her head back again and shut her eyes.

---

It was around mid-flight when John nudged her awake. "Wilson wants ta talk to ya," he said.

Cassie opened a sleepy eye and looked at Wade. He was a seat down from Victor, who was next to Stryker. He pointed to his head. She got the hint and opened up her mind.

_If you can read minds, can you communicate like that?_

She shook her head ad shrugged as she looked at him.

That kinda sucks. I'll do the talking then. You and Chris all kissy kissy yet?

Cassie sent Wade a glare. _'I wish I could respond. Maybe Stryker could explain that…'_

_I'll take that as a no. That boy is too shy for his own good. Want me to rough 'im up a bit?_

She widened her eyes at him and shook her head quickly. _'I'm not even sure I like him like that.'_

_Maybe he needs some practice. I could help him with that too…_

Wade had an ever-present smirk on his face as she looked at him with shock.

_I was kidding. Though, I could find someone to help him._

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Cassie just rolled her eyes.

_Or maybe you need someone to help you…_

Wade winked and she proceeded to narrow her eyes. _'This conversation is over.'_ Cassie built her mental block again and looked at Chris.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked when he noticed Cassie looking at him.

"Yeah." She rubbed the side of her face and asked, "How much longer?"

He put two fingers to his head and clenched his eyes shut. "A few minutes actually." Chris looked to Stryker and said, "Sir, we're just about there."

Stryker nodded. "Good. Take 'er down Bradley."

Chris nodded and Cassie could feel the entire plane shift to the right slightly as it descended. _'I'll be happy to be off this plane.'_

---

When the plane landed and Chris said it was okay to get out, Stryker said, "Your rooms have name plates. And don't try to switch." He sent Wade a glare before exiting the plane first.

Cold air rushed into the plane. "Brr," John shivered, "it's cold."

Cassie smiled as she undid the buckle on the harness and stood. "It's not that cold." He looked at her curiously before she turned and walked off the plane. Chris was behind her as she circled around back to get her suitcase.

"I'm kinda glad Stryker gave us new room arrangements," Chris said as he got his bag off the pile.

"Why?"

The two began towards the grey building. "Wade talks in his sleep some nights."

"I do?" Wade could be heard asking. Cassie looked over her shoulder and saw the swordsman running up to them. He put his arms around Chris and Cassie's shoulders. "This'll be so much fun guys!"

Cassie rolled her eyes and glanced over at Chris. He didn't look to happy either. _'Hopefully, I don't have to room with Mr. Mouthy.'_

The team entered and found themselves in a long hallway like the previous base. "Huh… Looks familiar," Wade remarked.

She wandered down the hall ahead of the others. She passed two doors on both sides, and then noticed a door on the right with 'Cassie Anderson' on the door. "Found my room," Cassie announced. The others seemed to find their rooms. It was more spacious then the last by a little. Otherwise, it looked the same. A bed, dresser, desk and chair.

"I'm sad I don't have a roommate," Wade said as he wandered into her room.

She looked at him and sarcastically said, "Yes Wade, you can come in."

Wade smile. "Why thank you."

"We're neighbors," Chris said from the door cheerfully.

Cassie smiled as she tossed her suitcase on the desk. "Awesome. I guess you're on the other side, right Wade?"

He smiled. "Right between your two favorite people."

She smiled back and began pushing Wade out of the room. "Right now, my two favorite people should go unpack so I can get changed and go to bed."

Cassie went to shut the door, but Wade stopped it with one hand. "Need any help? Chris here makes a wonderful teddy bear if you forgot yours."

The look on Chris' face was almost funny, but Cassie just blushed a little and said, "No thank you. Put all suggestions into the box next to the door." With that, she shut the door. There was a lock on this one unlike the previous base. She turned the lock and walked over to the bed. _'Forget changing. I want sleep.' _Cassie fell face first onto the pillow and shut her eyes tightly.

---

Cassie bolted up, panting and slightly sweated. She had an awful dream about Ridley being in some kind of danger. It scared her. _'I haven't had a nightmare since I was younger.'_ She wiped her forehead and hopped out of bed. The clock on the desk read '1:08'. Cassie thought about going back to sleep but the thought of having the dream again unnerved her.

She was only in black sweat pants and a grey tank top, but she wandered down the hallway into the first room she passed. It was a rec room identical to the old one.

The room was pitch black and she fumbled around, looking for a light switch. Cassie walked into something and said, "Damn it."

The lights suddenly went on and she saw she had bumped into Chris. "Sorry. I was trying to figure out the wiring and stuff of the room."

Cassie yawned and said, "It's fine."

"Why are you out of bed?" Chris asked as he turned and walked towards the television.

She followed him and sat on one of the couches. "It's silly, but I had this dream my brother was in danger."

Chris looked over his shoulder at her. "Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Maybe he is then. I mean, you **can** read minds. Any normal person wouldn't dwell on this and think it's just a dream."

She swallowed nervously. "That doesn't make me feel any better," Cassie choked out. _'If something happens, or happened, to Ridley… I don't know what I'd do.' _She looked down at the floor and her bare feet.

"I was jus' makin' a point," Chris told her as he moved to the spot on the couch next to her. Cassie nodded and shivered. The cold crept over her and she left her gloves back in her room. "Are you cold? I could-"

She wrapped her arms around her waist as she shook her head. "I'm fine."

When she glanced at him, Chris had a knowing look on his face. "You're shivering. I can turn the heat on…"

"Won't work," Cassie told him, "unless you crank it to a sweltering temperature, that is." The cold sensation moved up her arms and towards her neck.

"Let me keep you warm then," Chris said quietly. She looked at him curiously and he nodded. "It's worth a try at least."

Cassie nodded and shrugged at the same time before inching closer to Chris. She leaned against him and he held her protectively. Cassie could feel the cold ease away from her neck instantly and lingered just above her elbows.

The two were silent for a few moments until he asked, "It working?"

She nodded. "A little."

"Good."

Cassie sat comfortably with Chris in the rec room silently. It was a bit weird since she heard his thoughts before about her but she ignored what she knew. Just like Wade said. Cassie let out a small sigh and felt her eyes become heavy. She tried to make herself stay awake, but lost the battle in minutes.


	8. Extra Prompt: TV Spot

**I know it's very short, but I wanted to post something until I get the next chapter done. This was prompt in the TeamX RP community on Livejournal. I filled one out for Cassie and this is how it turned out. (So this might be a bit different if you line up the fic version of Cassie and the RP version of Cassie.) The prompt was ot make a tv spot like they had for Victor, Stryker, Gambit, etc. Don't know what I'm talking about? Youtube is your friend! :) Enjoy!**

**Also, some review would make me happy. XD**

---

_-Camera does a small pan around a young blond woman. This is Cassie. She calmly adjusts her gloves and glances at the camera.-_ Consequences. They follow us everywhere. _-She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.-_

**(Flash to very short clips of two parents walking out on a little girl, a confused boy who is slightly older, and the girl making a toy float.)**

_-Back to Cassie, she has a grim look on her face.-_ A consequence of being a mutant is losing the ones you love. _-She looks down-_

**(Flash to a clip of Cassie walking away from that same confused boy many years later.)**

_-Cassie looks up slowly, rubbing her hands together.-_ I'm a mutant and my name's Cassie. _-She gives a final look at the camera before waving her right hand and everything goes black.-_


	9. First

**A/N: Alright readers. I'd like to give a REAL chapter since I love you guys so much! ^^ One review. Better address it...**

domlove: **Bolt is extremely cute. 'Specially at that part on the plane when he smiles. **

**Notez! First mission, and lots of other goodies in this chapter so I expects LOTS of reviews. Lol. Just kidding, but reviews would be very nice. Also I love including Cassie and Wade's "chats" on the plane so I had to have another. They're just funny. This one in particular is...**

**Wade and Victor going on a mission will be very important down the line. Though I plan on them being out for at least two chapters. Sorry to the Wade or Victor fans. *cringe* Victor still scares me a little. Anyhoo, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8: First

Cassie woke up to a gleaming Wade and John. "What's going on?..." She tried to sit up, but felt something holding her back. When Cassie looked around, she found it was a sleeping Chris' arms near-restraining her.

Wade walked to the arm of the couch that Chris was leaning against and shouted, "Bradley got some act-ion!"

Chris jolted up and glanced around quickly. Cassie felt his grip loosen. She got up and looked at each of the men nervously before running to her room. Cassie shut the door behind her and walked over to the desk, leaning on it slightly. _'The constant badgering will begin soon…'_

It was almost on cue when there was knocking on the door. "Cassie?"

She clenched her eyes shut, half expecting to hear laughing or snickering. Carefully she opened an eye and saw John at the door. "Hi," she said.

John nodded and said, "I jus' wanna warn you, Stryker might not be too keen on Bradley and yer inner team romance."

"What romance?" Cassie laughed nervously.

He responded with a sound of disapproval and added, "By the way, first mission's tomorrow." In a blink, he was gone.

_'Awesome…'_ Cassie rolled her eyes and sat on her bed.

---

The next day was her first mission, just as John said. The entire team was gathered and directed to the airplane. According to Stryker, they were flying to St. Petersburg. The Russian government hired Team X for something. Cassie had no idea of what until Stryker's debriefing on the plane.

"We're looking for a man in his twenties. Short red hair and a mean streak." Stryker pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it up. It was a picture of the man. "Our goal is to find him."

With worry, Cassie asked, "Then what?"

"He's to be eliminated. The man escaped from prison twice already and can't be controlled."

_'Well he's not so innocent. Has a bad reputation…'_ She tried justifying for what had to be done. It was harsh, but she managed.

The plane landed in minutes and everyone got out. Agent Zero stopped her before she got off. "This is yours," he said while holding out the same gun she shot with him before. "Stryker let it slide."

"Okay," Cassie said timidly. She took the gun and put it in the harness on her waist he gave her before. _'Hopefully, I won't have to shoot anyone…'_ She stepped off the plane and followed the team towards a building.

"Zero," Stryker barked, "go in and have a look around."

Zero nodded and walked into the small two story office-looking building. While he did that, Cassie noticed John and Chris were the only others with guns, unless you counted Zero's of course. She stood in her spot between Stryker and John, fidgeting slightly. In front of her, she could see Victor flexing his hand. His nails were extremely long and almost looked to extend.

A gun shot rang out and shortly after, Zero walked out of the building. "All clear. He was inside."

"Good. Victor, retrieve the body and we can go."

_'Body? Why would they need that?'_

Victor walked into the building calmly. Cassie held her spot. She fidgeted slightly with the gloves she was told to wear for her condition. "Too much?" she heard Chris' voice ask.

She shook her head and saw Victor walking out of the building with a body over his shoulder. He looked calm, casual. As if the dead person was nothing. Victor smirked as Stryker said, "Load him. Rest of you back to the plane."

The team members all turned to walk back towards the plane. Cassie felt a pat on her back and Wade's voice asked, "How'd ya like your first mission?"

She looked at him sideways. "Actually, a bit boring. We just stood there."

"Yeah I was bored too," he said.

She stepped up and walked into the plane. Cassie sat in the seat next to Chris like usual; but this time, Wade sat on her other side. _'Oh joy.'_ She felt a poke to her right arm and glanced at Wade. He pointed to his head and smiled. _'What could he possibly need to whisper?' _Cassie dropped her mental wall and caught drift of his thoughts.

_…in training. Wouldn't tell me much. What about you? You'll tell me what went on, right buddy?_

"What?" she asked in a low tone.

_You and Bradley yesterday morning. I couldn't get anything out of him._

"Cause there is nothing to get," she mumbled to Wade.

_I'm not so sure about that…_

Cassie scowled at the swordsman.

_He did mention one thing._

She shot him a questioning look. _'What could he have possibly told him?'_

_Maybe I shouldn't say anything then._

She nudged him with her elbow.

_I was kidding. He didn't tell me anything._

Cassie let out a breath of relief. "Good." For the rest of the short trip back to the base, Cassie listened to the chatter of Wade's mind.

---

Once back at the base, Cassie went directly to her room. She wanted to get the gloves off and back into her own pair. _'I'm grateful for them but…it's not right… I'll wait until Stryker can figure something else out.'_ As she pulled off the gloves, there was a knock at the door. _'How is it they always knock around here?'_ Cassie stifled a laugh and walked over to the door. She opened it and was Chris looking up and down the hallway. "Chris?"

He looked at her with sudden surprise. "Cassie. Hey can we talk?"

"Uh…sure?" She moved aside and he hurried in. "Are you…?"

"Fine. I just…"

The lights seemed to flicker in the room. Cassie looked up, then back at Chris. "Was that you?"

Chris gave a nod. "Sorry," he shook his head. This time the lights dimmed. She looked at him curiously.

_'Maybe now would be a good time to…'_ Cassie let her mind drift and focused on him.

_…do it. Just do it…_

She blocked him off and asked, "Do what?..."

He took a step forward and pulled her into a kiss. The two quickly pulled apart, looking at each other with confusion. There was a slight blush on Chris' face. Cassie, on the other hand, just looked flustered. The lights flickered back to normal and Chris said, "I, um…have something…to do." He gave her a final look before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind.

Cassie backed up and sat in her bed. _'Why?...'_ She peered around her room in confusion. Without thinking fully, Cassie focused her mind, trying to find Chris.

_Can not believe I went through with it._

She assumed he was just over in his room since it hadn't taken long to hear his thoughts. _'This is all just confusing.'_ Cassie slumped to her side and lay on the bed, thinking.

---

The next day, Cassie crawled out of bed. _'When'd I fall asleep?'_ She just shrugged and changed into a clean set of clothes before making her way to the mess hall at the very end of the hallway. She walked in almost sluggishly.

"Cas. You're up!" Wade happily greeted from a table. Victor, Chris, and John were also present.

"Why are you being overly nice?" she asked suspiciously. Cassie walked over to the table and sat down beside John.

Wade, who was across from her; said, "Well Vicky and I are going on a mission. May not be back for a few days."

At the sound of the name of 'Vicky', Victor made a slight snarl. Cassie almost assumed he would hit Wade since there was only an empty seat between them. "What's the mission?" she asked.

"That's classified, little girl," Victor spoke.

Cassie looked at him, stunned. Those were the first words he'd said to her since her arrival almost two weeks ago. "But we'll bring you back a souvenir!" Wade told her. She nodded, a little more focused on Victor. When she reached to his mind, there was nothing. A lot like silence or emptiness. It was strange. He smirked at her subtly.

She shivered and John asked, "Are you cold?"

"Maybe Bradley here could warm you- OW!" Wade shouted. She kicked him under the table before he could finish his comment.

_'Thank god for combat boots.'_ Cassie looked at Chris, who was fumbling with some sort of small contraption.

"Victor, Wade," Stryker's stern voice beckoned from the doorway. The two men got up and walked out, following Stryker.

Cassie looked at John, then Bradley. "Chris," John said half startling him. "Give the girl some attention…" He tipped his hat at her before getting up and leaving the mess hall.

Once John left, Chris put the contraption down and glanced up at her. He gave a warm smile and said, "I'm sorry."

"About what?" _'Does he mean yesterday?'_

"'bout Victor."

She let out a breath and nodded. _'Of course he won't talk about it.'_ "S'fine. Doesn't bother me." _'Though other things do…'_ Cassie got up and walked over to the counter, grabbing an unopened water bottle. "I'll…uh, see you later," she told him before walking out of the mess hall. She made her way back to her room and found a piece of paper taped to her door. Cassie pulled it off carefully and went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Cassie sat and opened the folded piece of paper. It was a note.

_Did Bradley come visit you yesterday? You're welcome! –Wade._

She scowled. _'I should've known… When Wade gets back, he's so gunna hear it from me.'_ Cassie crumpled up the note and tossed it on her suitcase.

"Cassie?"

She hadn't heard the door open, but turned at the sound of a voice. It was Chris. "Chris?"

He walked in and sat next to her. "I wanted to mention something earlier but…"

"Didn't know what to say?" she asked. A look of shock came across his face. "No, I didn't read your mind at all."'

Chris nodded and said, "Maybe it'd just be easier if you did…"

"Oh…alright." With him sitting next so close, it only took less than a minute to pick up on his thoughts.

_Wade told me to do it after I let it slip._

She gave him a confused look and Chris told her, "There's more." Cassie nodded and continued to listen.

_…that I should stop being such a wimp and tell you._

"Chris, I'm not understanding what you're trying to-"

He cut her off with a kiss. Cassie was taken back a little until she heard another thought.

_I like you Cassie. A lot._

After hearing his words, she leaned into it slightly. Chris' mind either went silent or her barrier got messed up. He pulled back a small bit, breathing off by a fraction. It felt like the bed hit the floor unexpectedly, making a loud crashing sound. Cassie's eyes went wide. "My…That was entirely my fault. I'm so sorry," she told him. A look of surprise was all over Chris' face. "Sorry," Cassie said incase, for some weird reason, he hadn't heard her.

The door smacked against the wall as John and Fred burst in. "The hell was that?" John demanded to know.

Chris stared at the ground, silent. So Cassie had to make up the excuse. "Jus' messing around with my desk. Made it float but couldn't get it back down," she lied. _'And a damn god lie it is.'_

"Well uh, I wouldn't do that again Cas," Fred said, "Stryker might get angry that you're bustin' the place up."

Cassie smiled at the two men. "Thank you for the advice." _'Now go so I can talk to Chris.'_

John glanced at Chris as Fred walked away. "Hey man. We'll be in the rec room." He didn't get a response. "Yo. Earth to Bradley!" Chris looked up at the teleporter as he said, "You alright?"

"I'm wonderful," Chris responded happily.

_I'm extraordinary as a matter of fact. Things went my way for once._

Cassie just blinked as John disappeared. She was still hearing Chris' thoughts. _'I better fix that…'_

"Cassie, I-"

She shushed him in a low tone. Cassie built up her wall once more before looking at him. "Sorry. I could still hear your thoughts… Now you were saying?"

He gave a nod. "I don't think we should let Stryker on about us," Chris told her. "The rules and all… He'd probably say this is breaking one, or many of 'em."

"Okay," Cassie gave him a small smile. "Then it'll be our secret." Chris responded with a nod. "Now go to the rec room. Wouldn't want them to think anything suspicious now," she giggled.

Chris kissed her cheek before saying, "See ya then." He got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

_'I change my mind. Maybe I'll thank Wade when I see him…'_ Cassie fell back on her bed with a grin.


End file.
